Resurrecting Time
by LuckyKoorime
Summary: When a seemingly innocent dig unearths a mysterious skeleton, sinister events take place. The Tantei are sent to seal away the unleashed forces. But, can they survive in a lost world? Or will help come in an unlikely form?
1. Digging Through Time

_Author Note: All right, this chapter is merely a pilot chapter, although the entire story is written out. I hope you enjoy the chapter, and please review to let me know if I should continue or dispose of the story. Thank you._

_Disclaimer: As I'm sure you know, I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, however the plot and original characters do._

_Resurrecting Time_

_**Chapter One: Digging Through Time**_

Far away from the sounds of cars or freeways, distanced from homes and towns, lies a land where time holds no meaning, a place virtually untouched, undisturbed by any human form…until now…

"Hey! Pick up the slack over there!" A man's voice echoed against the towering Cliffside, giving the tone a more frightening sound. One of the workers ran quickly to secure the loose rope.

A team of ten men had been sent into the unexplored jungles of Brazil to excavate a skeleton found in a streambed at the base of a large cliff. The man who found the strange skeleton hired the men.

The man stood on a lookout tower; created so he could keep watch over his men and site. He turned back to the young man sitting at one end of the table placed in the center of the room.

"What id you think of it, lad?" The older man asked, his accent showed his British nationality. He had traveled to Brazil in search of a new excavation site.

The young boy sitting at his table was his apprentice. Thought the boy was very smart, he was shy and somewhat skittish.

"W-well, sir, I-"

"Please, Nathan, I've asked you several times to simply call me Roman." The older man cut him off quickly. His sharp green eyes bore into the boy.

Roman Brady was his full name; he stood tall, around six feet with a straight posture. He had been born and raised in Britain and graduated top of his class in the best college. He had wanted to be an archeologist/paleontologist. He had wanted to discover lost worlds and excavate things the likes of which the world had never seen. He searched his entire life and found nothing of what he desired.

Now, he was in his late sixties, his hair graying but his eyes remained as sharp as ever. Green eyes that had skewered the world for lost civilizations and creatures. It was those piercing eyes that led him to Brazil, to the deepest jungles.

Roman searched those jungles with his apprentice, Nathan Kelser, for three months before finding this skeleton. And even that had been by accident, as most things found often are.

"Right, sorry, s-I mean Roman." The boy corrected himself, looking to the older British man for approval, seeing the old man's green eyes dancing with delight, he continued. "There is nothing even remotely similar to what you have discovered here in ant of our archives. The markings found on and around the skeleton are not in our database either." Nathan told the man, who nodded as he sat down at the remaining chair.

Silence filled the room, each man lost in their own thoughts. The only sound that could be heard in the early evening was that of the shouts of the workers and the sound of shovels breaking the soil.

Nathan Kelser was only sixteen when Roman had hand picked him to be his apprentice. He was naturally shy and didn't expect to be chosen. But, he knew a good deal about civilizations lost in time and about the fossils often unearthed. So, Roman had picked him. They traveled to Brazil the next year, after the digs in South Africa came up dry.

The excavation had begun only a week ago, the skeleton had been found two weeks before the team they went for arrived. The team had been waiting for word and came as quickly as they could.

As the skeleton was uncovered, strange markings appeared on the bones and the surrounding rock. There were symbols, and perhaps what could be seen as pictures, but there was still too much dirt to clearly tell.

Nathan thought back to when they had first arrived in Brazil. The locals had been edgy about them when they found out they were heading into the jungle. Apparently, there had been legends about attacks and murders, people going in, but don't come back, basically all of the usual legends and stories that had been told in every other place.

Roman had easily dismissed the warning given to the about the dangers that lurked deep in the jungle. The old woman had told them that if they followed through with the journey, disastrous things would happen. Roman laughed off the warning, but Nathan could not so easily dismiss such a warning. But they traveled on nonetheless. So far, nothing had happened.

However, the markings and symbols depicted on the skeleton and stone unnerved him, but he kept quiet. Hs gaze shifted to the dig below, where the men were currently cleaning up for the night. They were covering the site so the dirt they had uncovered would not be blown back over the exposed skeleton.

"Those markings aren't like anything I've seen before." Roman commented after the long silence, his eyes were slightly clouded, a sign that he was thinking of something.

"No, nothing has been found that we can compare it too." Nathan added. The older man turned to him, he seemed bothered by something, but Nathan didn't ask, deciding it wasn't his place.

"Well, the skeleton should be uncovered enough to study it more by tomorrow. Maybe that will reveal a similarity to another creature, give us something to go on." Roman replied, grinning at the thought. This had been what he wanted, to find something no one else had.

"That would help." Nathan said, agreeing with his teacher.

"You should get some sleep, Nathan." The British man suggested, though it was more of a command.

Nathan nodded, is had been a long day. He headed for the door that led to the stairs, but he turned around and addressed Roman.

"Something about those markings is unsettling, sir." He didn't wait for Roman's reaction, instead he preceded out the door and down the winding flight of stairs and to his tent.

Roman watched from the tower as the young boy made his way to his sleeping quarters. His sighed as he ran his wrinkled hand through his graying hair. The boy was right, something in the dense jungle wasn't right, something about what he had found was not right. He thought back to the old woman's warning, but, they had been traveling in this jungle for over three months and nothing had happened. He and the boy had not run into any of the local tribes, not much wild life, it had all been a safe trip, he reasoned.

Roman turned away from the railing as the last of his men turned out the remaining lights and the last of the sun's rays died and darkness consumed the dense jungle.

He went to one side of the room and quickly changed into his nightclothes before shutting off the light and laid down for the night.

The night wore on silently, uneventfully. There weren't many sounds coming from the deep jungle as the full moon rose steadily higher into the midnight sky. It was a full moon; it's pure rays casting eerie shadows as it penetrated through the canopy.

The only light left burning in the camp was that inside a tent. The occupant laid wide-awake, sleep unwilling to carry him into a work of dreams. The boy had tousled brown hair and was currently lying on his cot staring at the ceiling with deep brown eyes.

Since he could not fall asleep, he decided that he would enjoy the silence, for in the morning, the shouting would begin again and the sound of digging and a little blasting would again fill the eerie silence. The boy sighed, wondering why a jungle, supposed to be teaming with wild animals would hold so much silence. He wondered why there weren't any tribes of those who lived here.

His train of thought was shattered, however, as a piercing and menacing growl filled the night's air. Nathan ran out of his tent, and looked around. Lights were being thrown on, illuminating the open area. The growls continued to grow louder, the sound of twigs and vegetation being crushed filled the air as men turned on the spotlights and brought out guns.

Nathan glanced around, listening to the ferocity the growls held. Judging from the sounds and from the many different directions it seemed to be coming from, he concluded that there was clearly more than one of whatever it was that had now surrounded them.

The men were all shouting, saying it was over there, or to the left. The floodlights lit up the dig site but did little to penetrate the darkness surrounding them. Suddenly, the floodlights went out and everything turned deadly silent. No one made a move and no one spoke. But the silence was shattered by a loud growl, the sound of an attack, one gun shot and the ear piercing scream of a man being torn apart by a creature none of them could even begin to fathom.

All hell broke loose in that instant. There was the sound of rushed footsteps; screams and gunshots filled the calm night.

Amidst all of the chaos, Nathan glanced up at the lookout tower; he could see the silhouette he knew to be Roman. The man appeared to be looking at something; Nathan followed the man's gaze to the tarp that had been placed over the skeleton they had unearthed.

His eyes widened at what he saw. Below the tarp he could see the skeleton was glowing from the light that was seeping from the edges. What was going on…?

Roman had awoken with a start as he heard a gun shot followed by a scream. He threw on the lights so he could see and rushed to the railing. He couldn't see much below, but the dig site immediately caught his eye. It was glowing, though the light was white, eh could tell that there was a darkness to it.

The screams and gunshots fell on deaf ears, as the old man seemed hypnotized by the light. As the light started to fade, he was snapped from his reverie as something passed by the far side of the railing. His eyes turned quickly to catch sight of a figure quickly jump from the tree by the tower. The figure looked human, but they had not seen any form of human life since they arrived.

The cries died out and the gunshots faded as the light emanating from the skeleton beneath the tarp faded. Once again, the night gave way and welcomed the silence once again; as though nothing had ever happened, no blood had been shed and no screams had pierced the night air.

The morning light did little to bring comfort to the men. They came out of their tents, some armed with guns, others with tools used to dig and break apart rock.

As the men took in the sight before them, they saw the campground was all but destroyed, equipment was everywhere, and the lights were lying in pieces. But, what shocked them most of all was the carcass of what was their workmate just a day ago.

Not far from the body was a large jaguar, seemingly normal from the distance. But as the men drew closer they could easily tell that it was far from being ordinary.

For one, the cat was much larger than a normal sized jaguar. It's spots seemed odd and there was a symbol on its forehead. Nathan stepped foreword, examining the creature. The claws were large, sharp like a knife.

He turned his attention to the marking on the forehead. Realization dawned on him as he recognized the symbol as one of those on the skeleton.

He jumped when Roman appeared at his side. Nathan glanced over at the older man. His green eyes scanned the creature that seemed to have a demonic appearance. His eyes held fear, unsure of what to do he went to the dig and ripped the tarp off the skeleton, fearing the sight he may see.

The other men watched as he revealed the site. The designs on and around the bones were colored with hues of every color and much more detailed.

"All of you get to work!" Roman shouted. He was spooked, and that thought angered him. He turned his sharp eyes to Nathan, "Let's go to my office, bring your laptop." He commanded, all friendliness gone.

Nathan nodded and quickly turned on his heel and ran to his tent. His brown eyes immediately flew to the computer at his makeshift desk. He shut the computer and ran back out.

Roman was already sitting at the table with books open to various pages. The old man's head snapped up as Nathan shut the door behind him, he quickly went to the table and set up his laptop, opening the archives and waiting for Roman to give him a command to search for something.

"Nathan, find out what tribes live in or around this area." The British man ordered. His voice was tight, strained. Nathan typed in what was desired and the search quickly found a match.

"There are a few tribes a few miles from here." Nathan answered after a moment. Roman nodded.

"You are to go to the closest of those tribes. Maybe they know something…" The older man sighed, showing for only a moment his age and fatigue of his travels, worry and unease were evident on his aged face.

"The closest is about two miles away. I can be back within two days." Nathan said. Roman nodded again, saying he approved of the younger boy's estimate.

"All right, it's still early in the morning, if you leave now, you can probably be there by sunset." He reasoned.

Nathan nodded and closed his laptop and went to the door. Before he reached the door, the British man stopped him.

"Wait." He said as he stood from his seat. He moved to a wall where he kept his firearms and took one off the rack. "Take this, you'll need it." Roman handed Nathan the gun, which in turn stared blankly at the weapon in his hand.

"What do I…?" He trailed off as he thought about it. He nodded to the older man and went out the door to his tent, packing what he needed to bring within a few minutes.

He set his course and headed out shortly before eight in the morning.


	2. Time's Chaos

Author Note: All right, here is the second chapter, though I may discontinue the story for lack of reviews, or I may continue, I haven't decided. If you want to keep reading, please say so. Thank you.

_Chapter Two: Time's Chaos_

Roman sighed as he turned from the window. He had watched Nathan go into the dense jungle until he could no longer see the boy. He ran a weathered hand through his gray hair and closed his eyes.

His mind returned to what he had seen fly by him past the railing. He had only caught a quick glimpse of it, but the form looked human. However, that confused him because all of his men were on the ground and none were that agile. Also, those jaguars…nothing like what he had seen on previous trips to South America. Not even the African cats came close to that size.

His mind shifted to the skeleton. All his life he had searched for something to bring greatness to him. In his other quests he had found astonishing items, but they only brought him fifteen minutes of fame. He snorted. Fifteen minutes was for common people, of which he was not. He wanted to be remembered in history for his findings.

The old British man glanced around the square room that made up his lookout tower. It was small, maybe forty feet corner to corner. There was a window on each wall, making it seem larger. In the center was the table that could sear four people. On each wall, there was a desk and some shelves containing many artifacts he had collected on his travels. These lay amongst books of civilizations, curses, and much more. On the far wall was the cot he had been using as a bed.

Roman leaned back in the wood chair he had seated himself in and listened to the sounds of the men working. It had taken some yelling to get them to work, but they eventually relented and grudgingly went back to work.

He stood again from his chair and went to the door and down the unsteady steps. He noticed that the sun's rays were already dying, had he been that lost in his thoughts? He shook his head and focused on his destination.

He walked swiftly across the soft dirt to where his workers were just finishing cleaning up. He scanned the area, taking in everything that made up the dig site.

The area was circular for the most part. The old streambed was positioned against the towering red cliff, which served to amplify any of the sounds created. Dense jungles on the remaining sides surrounded the strange cliff. The tents, which the men slept in, were at the far side of the cliff, the last tent being near the jungle's edge. A short distance from the tents was the actual dig, which had a roof over it to block out rain and sun and there was a shed to the right (the tents being on the left of the dig) that held all of the equipment. Directly across from the cliff was his lookout tower that was set against the tree line.

His eyes were drawn to the corpse of the jaguar. It had been moved to the edge of the site, but that was as far the creature could be carried; it's immense size making it difficult for his men to carry. He also noticed the grave that had been dug for the man who had fallen the night before. It was placed in the center left side of the site.

It stuck out in the scenery, but the old man ignored it. He made his between the men that were making their way to their tents for the night. They still seemed nervous, glancing at the jungle now tinted red with the dying sun's rays.

Roman nodded to those who mumbled a good night. He waited for them to settle in for the night before going to the skeleton. He was drawn to it, by something. He didn't know what it was, but he went anyway, heeding the silent call.

He flipped on the backlights and quietly pulled the tarp off. The skeleton seemed to shimmer in the dim light, the symbols glittering in the light. It appeared human…almost. The height was much larger, about seven feet and the bone structure appeared different.

He knelt down and ran his hand over some of the symbols. As he did so, a tingle ran up his arm and down his spine. Causing the hairs on the back of his neck to rise. He smirked slightly as he stood and moved over to the cliff wall, where more symbols were located. He touched one symbol in particular. He hesitated slightly before be he placed his hand on the exotic marking.

At first, nothing happened, the air was still and silent as it had always been. But the sky suddenly turned murderous, opening into a swirling torrent. Roman's attention was shortly drawn to the sky before his attention snapped back to the wall as it began to glow, the symbols turning with shifting hues. He stepped back, his senses returning along with an overwhelming sense of fear.

He stared wide-eyed as the symbols moved about, as though it was forming a code. Then, it all stopped, building suspense before a bright blue beam shot out of the wall. The light stream pierced his heart.

"Lord…what have I done…?" Was his last thought as he lost all sense of himself.

The stream of light flowed through him and into the sky, lighting the entire area and obliterating everything, yet leaving everything.

The light faded and the sky turned calm once again, as though nothing had ever happened. The sky was clear and no sounds emanated from the deep jungle…

Nathan sighed for what seemed like the umpteenth time. He had arrived earlier that day to a small village, which weren't very accepting when it came to strangers.

The villagers had set up elaborate traps and he had just barely missed being caught in one. He had almost fallen into a tiger trap but he had grabbed onto the edge and managed to pull himself up. That's when the villagers came out and took him to their elders.

He was slightly surprised by their kind nature, with all of the traps and by their appearance; he would have assumed them to be cruel. But instead, they let him explain that he wished to speak with their leader or chief.

So, he was sitting in the hut of the chief. It was large compared to he other homes he had passed. The homes appeared to be made of clay and branches and were rectangular in shape, though some were more circular.

The Chief had weapons lying about in one side of the hut, skins and animal hides beside them. On the other side of the hut, there were what appeared to be beds and on the back wall were cooking utensils. In the center of it all was a fire pit.

Nathan had been sitting there for the past few hours trying to find out what these people knew, but they knew nothing of what he spoke. The black-haired chief had been telling him about his tribe's way of life. Were it any other time, he would have been intrigued, but he had a sick feeling sitting in his stomach, something wasn't right…

Koenma sat at his desk with a stack of papers taller than him hat has to be stamped and a smaller pile that had already been stamped.

He let out a frustrated sigh and threw the stamper at the door, which had opened at the same time.

"OW! Koenma, sir, do you have to throw things?" Ogre asked as he rubbed his forehead, the seal of King Enma marking his forehead. Koenma just glared at the demon, though he couldn't help but laugh.

"What did you want, Ogre?" Koenma asked.

"Well, sir, I think you should take a look at this." Ogre answered the prince as a large screen came down.

The screen flipped on and showed an aerial view of a black jungle. There was a full moon in the corner and a cloudless starry sky. Koenma's eye started to twitch after a minute of nothing happening.

"What am I looking for!" He shouted angrily at the ogre.

"Just be patient, Lord Koenma." Just as he finished his request, the sky turned violent, clouds of deep blue covered the clear sky as streaks of blue light danced across the sky.

Koenma's mouth dropped open at the spectacular display. But he jumped slightly as a bright light engulfed part of the darkness and a bending beam of blue energy shot to the raging sky.

A moment later, everything was completely calm, the sky was once again clear and calm and the jungle standing untouched.

"What was that!" Koenma asked.

"We're not sure, sir." Ogre answered the prince nervously. "But the energy was demonic in a sense."

"In a sense, Ogre? What do you mean?" The Reikai prince asked, slightly confused.

"Well, sir, we haven't really seen energy like that before, especially not in Ningenkai. There isn't much to go on." Ogre sighed, why did he have to be the one to deliver the news?

"Get me Botan." Koenma ordered as he flopped back into his chair.

Ogre had given the prince some papers with information about the area and the energy. Brazil was where had happened but…

"Yes, Lord Koenma?" Botan's cheery voice broke him out of his thoughts.

"Botan, I need you to gather Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hiei, and bring them here quickly." Koenma informed the deity.

Botan bowed slightly, and headed out the large doors. She wondered why he didn't give her the mission to tell them like he would normally, but she didn't argue, nor did she mind. It was simply a fleeting thought.

Within a few minutes the entire Reikai Tantei were entering Koenma's office.

"So, what's our next mission?" Yusuke asked. He was somewhat glad that they had something to do. As of lately, things had been quiet, and they had gotten restless.

"I need you four to go investigate an explosion of demonic energy." Koenma answered, leaving out where the explosion occurred.

"Why do we need to go?" Kuwabara asked.

"Because, the energy released has not exactly been seen before. We aren't positive about what we're dealing with." Koenma explained, his voice serious.

"All right, so we go to some place and come back in time for my date with Keiko." Yusuke shrugged, making it sound easier than it was. "Where do we have to go?"

"Brazil."

"Okay, that's cl-What!" Yusuke gaped. The location causing even the stoic fire demon to acquire a surprised look.

"Yes, you four are to go into the jungles of Brazil." Koenma said. "We couldn't exactly open a portal right at the area. So, you'll have to do some bush whacking." Koenma explained, as he laughed at their expressions. He shouted good luck as a portal opened beneath them.

The next morning, Nathan headed out early in the morning; he used his map to find the path he had already beaten. He had been sure to locate the existing traps and mark them on the computerized map so he would not be caught once again.

He found his previous path easily and followed it back with little to no hindrances. The path was clear, making his trip back faster than when he had originally gone.

It was late afternoon by the time he reached the dig site. He pushed some of the vines and undergrowth that had fallen back into place out of his way. As he pushed aside some of the branches and stepped into the clearing, the sight he was met with froze him in his tracks…


	3. Grave Intentions

Author Note: Well, though it seems there is a lack of interest in this story, I will continue nonetheless for things do get better, regardless of how slow it may seem at the moment. Please review and let me know if it is worth continuing. Thank you.

Le'letha- Thank you for reviewing, I appreciate it a great deal, and you're right, it should be "scoured", that was a mistake on my behalf and I'm surprised I didn't catch it….oops, oh well, it's nothing more than a small mistake of words. Thanks again for the review!

Dark Chobit- As always, you've been a great supporter of my story lines! I hope to talk to you soon whenever you get back.

**_Chapter Three: Grave Intentions_**

The sun shone brightly over the dense jungle. It's bright rays barely penetrating the thick canopy. A peaceful silence bestowed the jungle; the distant call of birds and the occasional squeal of a monkey the only thing breaking the peace.

However, the peace was shattered by angry cries and the breaking of branches as the Reikai Tantei crashed through the trees and land on the hard ground.

Kuwabara cursed loudly as Yusuke landed on him. Kurama landed on his feet and Hiei on a nearby tree limb. The orange-haired teen shoved the detective off his back as he stood.

"You'd think he could make the portal a little _closer _to the _ground_!" Yusuke shouted angrily. His clothes were torn from the fall, as were everyone else's.

"Hey, guys, where are we supposed to go…?" Kuwabara asked. It dawned on the small group that the Reikai prince had failed to explain where it was that they were supposed to go.

"Great! So we're stuck halfway around the world and in the middle of the jungle with no idea where to go!" Yusuke yelled again. He was about to continue his rant but the fire demon's cold voice stopped him.

"Shut up, detective. Turn to your right and walk for a quarter of a mile." The fire demon said, his voice even and emotionless.

Everyone stared blankly at him for a moment before shifting their gaze to the right. The area was completely impassable from the looks of it. Vines and dense undergrowth filled their path. But, Kurama stepped forward and placed his hand before him. The Kitsune flicked his wrist and the plants parted willingly.

Hiei jumped from his perch to join the group as they headed down the path Kurama had created.

Nathan had stopped dead in his tracks. The entire dig site was silent and clean, as though they had never touched the land, though everything was in its place. But all forms of human life was gone, all the tents the men had slept in were gone. The only man made objects left were the tarp over the skeleton, and the lookout tower and the shed of tools to the side.

Nathan stumbled around the area, his eyes wide in confusion. He stopped again as his eyes caught sight of ten fresh graves. Fear filled the young boy, what had happened? Where was Roman? Did his body lay in one of those graves? Or were those graves only the resting place of the ten men that worked for them?

The boy stepped back and tan into something. He turned around too quickly and almost last his balance. He had bumped into Roman and perhaps that face alone was enough to throw him off balance. Roman smirked down at the boy.

"What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost." He laughed.

Nathan took an uneasy step back as he eyed Roman, something wasn't right…

"What happened? Where is everyone?" He asked, his voice shaking more than he wanted.

"Why, they're all behind you, lad." Roman said as he walked behind Nathan to stand before the graves. Nathan moved a few paces behind the older man, something telling him to keep at a distance.

"Such a tragedy, all were good men, wouldn't you agree?" Roman asked. Nathan could do nothing more than nod as Roman turned his sharp green eyes to his own.

Those green eyes glittered with something unknown to the younger boy.

"It looks like we're just going to have to continue on our own." Roman stated lightly.

"What happened to them?" Nathan al but shouted. Roman turned away from him, heading to the tower.

"More of the jaguars attacked. All of them were killed." Roman said with ease. Nathan followed him to the base of the steps. Roman turned sharply on the boy, glaring down from his height.

"You've never questioned me before, boy. So, why now?" He snapped.

Nathan's face showed a look of surprise at the accusation. He stopped his questions and let the matter drop, though he was still weary.

"That's what I thought. Now, start digging." The British man ordered as he turned his back to the boy and continued to ascend the stairs.

Nathan sighed as he looked behind him to the dig site. It didn't look any different from how he left it. The tarp still covered the revealed skeleton, and the dark earth was undisturbed. Nothing was at all different. However, such a fact did little to ease him.

He went to the shed and grabbed some of the tools he would need and then headed back to the skeleton. He took a corner of the tarp and flipped it off to the side.

His eyes scanned the creature. It seemed that the men had uncovered more of it. The skeleton was almost fully unveiled, only the upper half remained uncovered. It was what he would be working on.

As he worked on chipping away the hardened soil that had long ago become this creature's tomb, his mind wandered again to the warning given by the woman. So far, some strange things had happened, there was the attack, and now all their men were dead.

Nathan sighed as he rocked back on his knees and brushed aside a piece of his chocolate brown hair. He glanced into the sky, noticing the late afternoon position of the sun. The heat was starting to bother him, so he removed his shirt, discarding the item behind him, revealing a well-sculpted chest as he returned to his work.

He had uncovered up to the neck of the creature. The body and bone structure were eerily similar to that of a human, but there were too many differences. The build seemed much stronger and the hands appeared to have claws. They had dated the skeleton using the available technology they had brought with them and the bones pre-dated any other human. None of it made much sense. He decided to solve the mysteries when the entire skeleton had been uncovered.

Nathan bent over to begin his work again when a noise to his right caught his attention. It came from the side where the tents would have been located. He stood and walked a little ways in that direction. Straining to hear what was coming. It sounded like voices, people talking. From the sound he could determine there was probably more than two.

But, who could they be? His first thought was that they could be from one of the tribes, but the closest was two miles away. What would they be doing so far from the tribal grounds? Or did their hunting grounds stretch this far?

His train of thought was broken by a loud string of curses. Shortly after, four boys stepped out of the dense brush which appeared to part for them.

The one boy who let of the curses stumbled forward into the clearing. He had slicked black hair, which currently had leaves stuck in it. He wore jeans and a white t-shirt, now filled with holes. The boy that followed was tall, with orange hair and wearing clothes similar to the black haired boy. Behind these two came a tall red haired boy in a white outfit and a shorter boy dressed in black.

"Argh! Stupid thorns!" The black haired boy shouted. The taller teen laughed and commented.

"That's what you get for being hotheaded, Urameshi."

"Shut up, Kuwabara!" He shouted in return, his voice echoing off the Cliffside.

"Yusuke." The red haired teen warned.

"What? It's not like anyone's going to hear me." He reasoned.

"Ahem." Nathan coughed; the gesture instantly gained him their attention. "Can I help you?" He asked them.

"Yes, I believe you can." The red head replied. "We were sent to investigate an explosion."

Nathan raised an eyebrow at him, "An explosion? Who are you?" He asked.

Nathan nodded as they finished the introductions. He decided to take them to Roman.

"Sine I wasn't here the other day, I'll take you to Roman. He'll be better able to answer your questions." Nathan said. The four boys nodded and followed him to the tower.

Nathan pushed open the door and moved aside so the other four boys could enter. Roman was sitting at the table with a book in front of him. He had heard the commotion outside and knew whoever it was would be brought to him. As they entered the room, he stood from his chair to greet them.

"Hello, my name is Roman Brady." He announced easily. His green eyes glittering as they scanned the boys who took their own turns introducing themselves.

"What brings you four boys out here?" Roman asked once the introductions were through.

"We were told to investigate an explosion that took place the other day." Kurama explained again.

"An explosion, you say?" Roman asked, slight surprise adorned his aged face. "I was here all day yesterday and night, nothing of the sort happened." He explained, his voice indicating nothing but truth.

"Are you sure?" Kuwabara asked, his voice saying he didn't believe the older man.

"Are you presuming that I do not know of what goes on in my own site?" Roman asked. His green eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Yes, that's what he's saying. We know there was an explosion here and we're not leaving until you tell us the truth." Yusuke said to the British man.

Nathan noticed Roman bristle at what Yusuke said. Something told him that Roman was lying and that the old man was different, but he wasn't about to get the man angry. Before it could get any worse, Nathan suggested that he explain to them what it was that they were doing.

"How about I show you four what exactly we're doing all the way out here?" Roman glanced at his apprentice, wondering what was going through his head. But he nodded in approval, hoping to distract their attention.

"Yes, maybe then you can see that there could not have been an 'explosion'" Roman agreed as he moved to the door and down the steps.

"You see, we found this magnificent skeleton a few weeks ago and we stayed to excavate it." Roman explained as he approached the skeleton.

"The only problem is, nothing like it has ever been found. The language and symbols aren't in our archives at all." Nathan explained further.

When the six of them reached the dig, they spread out so they could see the skeleton in the dying rays caste off by the sun.

Six silhouettes were cast upon the crimson Cliffside, in a manner that could only be described as timeless. They stood taking in the sight before them, silence filling the group.

After a moment, Kurama's eyes widened as he began to recognize the language that was eloquently carved into the bones and surrounding rock. Though, the way the message was written was beautiful, the inscription itself was deadly.

He was about to say something regarding the inscriptions when something alerted the end of his senses. Before anyone knew what was happening, Kurama had brought out his rose whip and caught a dagger that otherwise would have hit Roman in his forehead, a fatal blow.

Everyone stared at Kurama as his whip and the dagger fell harmlessly to the ground. The Kitsune glared to his right at the closer edge of the jungle. He sensed someone there, a human. Everyone's attention was now on the jungle, trying to see what threat lingered in the fading light.

"Show yourself now, and we won't hurt you." Kurama called out.

His deep green eyes losing all softness and turning cold, uncaring. Yusuke and Kuwabara got into a fighting stance, and prepared to summon their spirit weapons. Hiei's hand fingered the hilt of his katana.

Suddenly, Hiei unsheathed his katana and threw it into the jungle, the blade spinning parallel to the ground. There was a quick sound as the sharp blade cut through the vegetation before it stopped.

A moment later, a figure appeared out of the darkness. All that could be seen was the outline in the last of the sun's rays. The floodlights flipped on suddenly, startling everyone.

"Timed lights, they come on as the sun sets." Roman explained, still looking at the now revealed figure. Nathan narrowed his eyes in suspicion, those lights had always needed to be turned on by hand, there were never automatic. But his attention was quickly brought back to the matter at hand.

The lights illuminated the area, giving them enough light to clearly make out who stood before them.

It was a young girl, no older than 16. She had long black hair pulled into a high ponytail with straight bangs. Her eyes were a light blue and full of life, though her tanned face showed nothing. She wore what looked like a black bikini top and a short skirt, reaching only a few inches down her thighs. Silver wrist guards adorned her hands. She wore a sort of sandals with strings crossing up to her knees.

In her left hand was Hiei's katana. Blood dripped from the wound the sharp blade created. The six of them formed a semi-circle around her and the dig. The girl raised her left arm, but before she could do anything, Kurama's rose-whip wrapped around her wrist. She also had Yusuke's spirit gun pointed directly at her. The girl only smirked.

"Who are you?" Yusuke asked threateningly. They weren't about to play games with this girl.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She said with a hatred unlike most. Yusuke growled and shot his spirit gun to the right of her, just barely missing her. She didn't flinch.

"Answer my next question or I don't miss." The detective glared down at her. "Why did you try to kill him?"

"To keep him from doing its bidding." She growled. Her gaze shifted from Roman and Yusuke to Hiei. "Your aim is off and your blade is dull." She only received a glare from the fire demon.

"What do you mean, to keep him from doing 'its' bidding?" Kurama asked.

She tossed a short glance to him before dropping the katana from her hand, the hilt to the ground, and kicked it with her foot. The katana flew the short distance to meet its target head on.

Before the others could react, she twisted her wrist and ripped Kurama's whip from his hand and fled into the jungle.


End file.
